When the trailers first dropped for director Ruben Fleischer’s Venom (2018), audiences got a taste of something truly exciting as it looked like Sony Pictures might take the Marvel Comics villain-turned-anti-hero and introduce him through a body horror-like science fiction adventure. Unfortunately, it held more in common with the ‘80s/’90s era of comic book adaptations which skimmed details where they needed them, relied too much on comedy to be disquieting, and ended with a generic climax of creature v. creature audiences have seen over and again (though, that’s the price you pay when you don’t use Spider-Man as the nemesis). Thankfully, the Andy Serkis-directed Let There Be Carnage (2021) learned many lessons and leaned into the ridiculousness of things, surprisingly delivering a story with solid action and a strong undercurrent pathos which solidified the intimacy between Brock and symbiote. Making her directorial debut, series writer Kelly Marcel closes out the series with The Last Dance, a final film in the Venom trilogy whose ambitions fail to deliver the excitement or thrills of the prior two installments while also introducing a threat to nowhere, resulting in more tedium than entertainment. However, if you must own the final story, the home release edition (physical and digital) includes roughly 56 minutes of bonus materials with several physical editions to choose from.
L-R: Director Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy on the set of Columbia Pictures VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. Photo Credit: Laura Radford ©2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
After battling Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and saving the day, Eddie Brock and his symbiote partner Venom (both Tom Hardy) head to Mexico for some R&R. While there, they not only briefly get transported to a different dimension (the MCU’s Earth-616 (or 199999?)), but, upon returning, learn that they are an international fugitive, blamed for the events that transpired, including the murder of Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham). Deciding to take matters into their own hands, they leave Mexico for New York City where Brock thinks a former connection can help him. One small problem, not only is there a group of highly-trained soldiers on Brock & Venom’s trail, but also an extraterrestrial force made of seemingly indestructible creatures sent by Venom’s creator, Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis), to retrieve Venom with or without a living host.
While it’s typical form for initial reviews to be spoiler-free, as this is both a home release review *and* any future plans for Sony to extend their Spider-Man Universe (SSMU) are dead, we’re going to go all-in on why The Last Dance is dazzlingly, frustratingly dull in the way it missuses its opportunity to strongly end the series by, basically, disregarding the first film and seeking to start something new in a final story.
With a story developed Hardy and Marcel and script by Marcel, one would expect for there to be a high level of continuity across films. Unlike, say, the original Batman films which only shared a few characters and actors and kept their adventures singular, the three Venom films are not only connected, they take place across one year’s time from start to finish, based on a dialogue in The Last Dance. The weird thing is that much of The Last Dance either picks-and-chooses what to keep consistent or functions as a kick-off as it also winds-down, thereby serving too many narrative threads to make any of them as interesting or compelling as they want. It’s through a quick cut to a flashback as scientist Dr. Paine (Juno Temple) and General Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) provide exposition that we learn a meteor crashed to Earth containing the symbiotes that make up the collection they have, subjects they don’t seem to fully understand, while Strickland’s on Brock’s trail. This is strange because it suggests that Paine and Strickland know nothing about the events of Venom and Carlton Drake’s (Riz Amed) Life Foundation despite seeming to have *enough* knowledge that Mulligan was abandoned by a symbiote during the altercation with Kasady and needed a new one to survive (don’t get me started on the inconsistency with hosts and survival rates in this film). Then there’s the secret organization referred to as “Imperium” that Strickland seems to report to. Who are they, what is their purpose, and why do they know what they know? All we get is an over-the-shoulder shot of someone talking with Strickland remotely in a dark room with a bunch of monitors, yet we’re supposed to understand them to be some kind of dangerous organization (perhaps). Making matters worse, in order to learn anything about them, you have to go online to discover that the shadowy figure is Reid Scott’s Dr. Dan Lewis, Anne’s (Michelle Williams) fiancée, who has helped Brock/Venom on several occasions. Is this betrayal? Is this assistance? Frankly, who cares because the film gives us zero reason to understand their function other than as a military arm monitoring extra-terrestrial lifeforms. Making matters more frustrating is the introduction of Knull (voiced by Serkis), the figure who starts The Last Dance with an exposition dump about why he should be feared and that he’s sending out his soldiers, the xenophages that hunt for Brock/Venom throughout, to recover the MacGuffin that the bonded-pair have in their possession. What reduces Knull, a terrifying figure in the comic, is that we’re just now learning of the character and it’s used within the story, not as a tangible threat, but as one to delay … a delay to a story that will never come. So no investment forms. It’d be like if The Avengers (2012) introduced Thanos directly instead of using the Other (voiced by Alexis Denisof) and then no more MCU films were released.
Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock/Venom in Columbia Pictures VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. ©2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If these kinds of details aren’t troublesome on their own, there’s the fact that due to the MacGuffin, a codex that Knull needs which serves as the key to his freedom created by the bonded lifeforce of Venom and Brock when Venom resurrected Brock in Venom, the film spends most of the movie sparsely using the Venom form in between trying to give equal time and setup for Paine and Strickland. So, not only do we get more Hardy talking to himself (and not in a “sitting in a lobster tank” way), but the whole story introduces others into the narrative in a manner that seems to pad time rather than propel Brock’s arc from first film to now. Again, getting to know the pursuers isn’t a bad thing, understanding motivation creates tension for any story, yet, here, there’s none. At all. There’s more weight in the Flash vs. Dark Flash component of The Flash (2023) than there is in any moment of The Last Dance, which tells you a lot about the narrative execution. There’s so much secrecy and setup to understand Knull and Imperium (none of which get resolved) that the whole affair feels dull and devoid of energy, which, considering how even the first film possessed creativity, generic as it is, the lack of it all here, the inconsistency, and imprecision baffles. Best example of this, Venom silently cluing Strickland to activate the acid bath used to decommission Area 51 tools when there’s no moment when either Venom or Brock were around to see it used and would, therefore, understand how to activate it (a thumb print and voice activation, not just a button). The deleted scenes included with the home release don’t have anything that would answer this particular question, so it just becomes emblematic of a larger issue with the details within.
L-R: Director Kelly Marcel and Tom Hardy on the set of Columbia Pictures VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. Photo Credit: Laura Radford ©2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Speaking of the special features, there’s nearly an hour of materials included on most formats (more on that in a moment) and they cover everything from Marcel’s first time in the director’s chair (“Author of Mayhem: From Writer to Director”) to a look at several of the action set pieces and how they blended on-location and on-set work (“Venom Unleashed: The Action & Stunts”), a look at the returning cast members (“Venom’s Inner Circle”), and a focus on Hardy himself despite not including any new interview material with the lead (“Bonded in Chaos: Tom Hardy”). Between this, the blooper reel, deleted/extended scenes, previous materials, and even a goofy “interview” with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu), there’s no shortage of information on the making of the film that will likely delight folks who enjoyed the film or just want to learn more about the making of it as we hear from Marcel, most of the central cast, and members of the crew. Unfortunately, any questions you might have regarding what the film sets up are not addressed. Not Imperium, not Knull as a returning force, and certainly not whether or not Venom is truly gone (an element that makes irrelevant the whole “codex” problem of this film).
In terms of access, the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital versions of the film will include all of the available special features, but the DVD will only contain three: “Venomous Laughs: Outtakes & Bloopers,” “Author of Mayhem: From Writer to Director,” and “Venom’s Inner Circle.”
L-R: Rhys Ifans as Martin Moon and Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom in Columbia Pictures VENOM:THE LAST DANCE. Photo Credit: Lacey Terrell. ©2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Speaking of, if physical formats are of interest to you, be advised that there are multiple versions available. There’s the standard of all three physical editions, but there’s also a 4K UHD limited edition steelbook and a three-film collection that includes a Venom action figure. Of course, if you are more of a minimalist and prefer digital, there’s a limited-edition digital option that includes an action figure, as well. This review is based on a Blu-ray edition provided by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, so no specific details can be provided on any of the limited editions or the 4K UHD edition. To that, the HD presentation is solid with no issues with the visual or auditory elements: consistent as always.
It’s very easy to consider what The Last Dance could’ve been, such as using the opportunity to take advantage of the confirmed introduction of the multiverse (used as a shortcut for exposition) to integrate Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) and Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man) as variants, but that falls into “what one wants vs. what one is given.” What The Last Dance actually is frustrates for its lack consistency across films and a strange avoidance of what made the previous films interesting at their core. Sure, it would’ve been great and interesting as a way to continue the growth of the lethal protector having come to terms with their anti-hero ways, but that’s not what Marcel and Hardy went with. Instead, we’re meant to say goodbye to Hardy, a surprisingly perfect choice for Brock and Venom, with an adventure that’s lackluster at best and dull at worst. It throws symbiotes at us without meaning, just a smattering of fan service without definition amid a slurry of CG violence, and all while leaving the door open for stories that won’t come. The music has stopped and, sadly, this last dance doesn’t leave one wanting; rather, grateful it’s over.
Venom: The Last Dance Special Features:
4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital
- Venomous Laughs: Outtakes & Bloopers (2:30)
- Author of Mayhem: From Writer to Director (5:49)
- Venom Unleashed: The Action & Stunts (5:21)
- Bonded in Chaos: Tom Hardy (6:03)
- Venom’s Inner Circle (6:23)
- Brock Bottom: Mrs. Chen Interview (3:16)
- Savor the Last Bite: The Venom Legacy (4:41)
- Seven (7) Deleted & Extended Scenes (13:08)
- Three (3) Select Scene PreVis (4:54)
- One Last Dance – Tom Morello x Grandson Music Video (2:38)
DVD
- Venomous Laughs: Outtakes & Bloopers (2:30)
- Author of Mayhem: From Writer to Director (5:49)
- Venom’s Inner Circle (6:23)
Available on digital December 10th, 2024.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and limited edition 4K UHD steelbook January 21st, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Venom: The Last Dance webpage.
Final Score: 2 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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